Chief Patron:
Inside this Issue

Hon. Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat,
Minister for Foreign Affairs

Patron:Mr. Shanker Das Bairagi,
Foreign Secretary

Editorial TeamMr. Mani Prasad Bhattarai,
Joint Secretary
Dr. Damaru Ballabha Paudel,
Under Secretary1.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home
Affairs visits India
Hon'ble Mr. Bimalendra Nidhi, Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, visited India on
18-22 August 2016 as the special representative of Rt.
Hon'ble Prime Minister Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal'Prachanda'. During the visit, he called on the President ofIndia H. E. Shri Pranab Mukherjee, and the Prime
Minister of India H. E. Shri Narendra Modi. He also met
with Minister of External Affairs of India, H. E. Smt.
Sushma Swaraj and Minister of Home Affairs of India,
H.E. Shri Rajnath Singh. He held discussions on further
strengthening and deepening relations between Nepal andIndia including through the exchange of high level visits.
2.

Minister for Foreign Affairs visits India
Hon'ble Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for
Foreign Affairs, visited India on 11-13 September 2016.
During the visit, he met with Minister of External Affairsof India, H. E. Smt. Sushma Swaraj. The two leaders held
extensive discussions on various matters of bilateralrelations including the need for expeditious
implementation of all agreed and ongoing projects under
Nepal-India cooperation. They also discussed the agenda
for the imminent State Visit of Rt. Hon'ble Prime Ministerof Nepal to India. The Hon’ble Foreign Minister also met
H. E. Sushri Uma Bharti, Minister for Water Resources,
River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, as well as
His Excellency Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State(Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New &Renewable Energy and Mines. During the meetings,
various issues of bilateral cooperation on water andenergy were discussed.

Current Affairs

Bilateral Affairs

B.

Multilateral Affairs

C.

Regional Affairs

D.

Passport andActivities

Consular3.

A. Bilateral Affairs

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A.

2State Visit of the Rt. Hon'ble Prime Minister to
India
Rt. Hon'ble Prime Minister Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal'Prachanda' paid a State Visit to India on 15-18 September
2016 at the invitation of H. E. Prime Minister of India
Shri Narendra Modi. During the visit, he called on the
President of India H. E. Shri Pranab Mukherjee. The Rt.
Hon’ble Prime Minister of Nepal and H. E. the Prime
Minister of India held bilateral talks. During the meeting,the two Prime Ministers discussed various aspects of
Nepal-India relations and cooperation in different areas
including water resources, infrastructure, trade and transit,
among others. Ministers of the Government of India – H.
E. Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs, H.
E. Mr. Rajnath Singh, Minister of Home Affairs, H. E.
Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance, and H. E. Shri
Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of
New & Renewable Energy, Mines, Power, Coal, paid
separate calls on the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister.

Rt. Hon'ble Prime Minister also addressed ajoint business event hosted by ASSOCHAM, CII
and FICCI and visited Nathpa Jhakri hydro-electric
power project in Himanchal Pradesh and the Foodand Herbal Park at the Patanjali Yogpeeth near
Haridwar.
4.

Delegation of Parliamentary Committee on
Legislation visits India
A delegation of Parliamentary Committee on
Legislation visited India on 21-30 August 2016. The
delegation had interactions at the Indian Law Institute,
National Human Rights Council of India, National Law
School and Ministry of Law and Justice. The delegation
also visited the Supreme Court of India, and High Courtsof New Delhi and Karnataka.

5.

Nepal-India Home Secretary Level Meeting

Nepal-India Home Secretary Level Meeting was heldin New Delhi on 8-9 September 2016. Nepali delegation
was led by Mr. Lok Darshan Regmi, Secretary at Ministryof Home Affairs and the Indian delegation was led by Mr.
Rajiv Mehrishi, Secretary at Ministry of Home Affairs ofIndia. The meeting held discussions on the comprehensive
issues related to security, border management,
strengthening border infrastructure, Hulaki road
construction, inundation at border areas, and training andcapacity building of law enforcement officials.
Nepal-India Joint Agriculture Working Group
Meeting
The sixth Meeting of the Joint Working Group on
Agriculture (JAWG) between Nepal and India was held in
New Delhi on 8-9 September 2016. Nepali delegation was
led by Dr. Suroj Pokhrel, Joint Secretary, Ministry ofAgriculture Development, and the Indian delegation was
led by Shri Amitabh Gautam, Joint Secretary, Ministry ofAgriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of India.
The meeting deliberated on issues related to agricultural
co-operation between Nepal and India including soil
health management, organic farming, micro irrigation
system, agricultural mechanization, seed technologies,
strengthening laboratory facilities and germplasm
exchange.

Envoy of Rt. Hon. Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda',
Prime Minister of Nepal. During the meeting with H.E.
Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of China, the Deputy Prime
Minister on 16 August 2016 handed over the invitation
letters from the Rt. Hon. President and Rt. Hon. Prime
Minister of Nepal to their Chinese counterparts to visit
Nepal. The two leaders shared their views on various
aspects of Nepal-China relations as well as in the mattersof regional and global concerns. The Deputy Prime
Minister also paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Li
Kequiang, Premier of the State Council of the People's
Republic of China in Beijing on 17 August 2016.

6.

7.

Survey Officials' Committee Meeting
The fifth meeting of the Survey Official's Committee
was held in Dehradun, India on 28-30 September 2016.
The Nepali Delegation was led by Mr. Suresh Man
Shrestha, Deputy Director General, Department of Survey
and the Indian delegation was led by Mr. R. K. Meena,
Director, Survey of India. The meeting held discussions
on the technicalities of the border pillar construction andmapping along with the composition and schedule of theborder pillar construction during the field season of
2016/17.
8.

Rescue of 18 Nepali women from Sri Lanka
In August 2016, Embassy of Nepal in Colombo
coordinated the rescue and repatriation of 18 Nepali
women, who were reportedly being trafficked to third
countries, and were stranded in Sri Lanka.

Hon. Mr. Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Deputy Prime Minister andMinister for Finance of Nepal and H.E. Wang Yi, Foreign
Minister of People's Republic of China

11. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Japan
paid visit to Nepal
At the invitation of the Government of Nepal, H.E.
Mr. Nobuo Kishi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs ofJapan paid a visit to Nepal from 30 August to 1
September 2016 leading a Japanese delegation to attend
the commemorative programme organized by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Nepal tocelebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan.

9.

Rescue of 46 Nepali citizens from Dhaka
Embassy of Nepal in Dhaka rescued 46 Nepali
citizens on 5 August 2016 and coordinated their safe
return to Nepal. They had entered Bangladesh reportedly
for business purpose. Their passports were seized by a
Bangladeshi national.
10. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance
Visited Beijing
Hon. Mr. Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister for Finance visited the People's
Republic of China from 15-20 August 2016 as the Special

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3

Hon. Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for Foreign Affairs of
Nepal and H.E. Mr. Nobuo Kishi, Minister of State for Foreign
Affairs of Japan

During the stay in Nepal, the State Minister paid acourtesy call on the Rt. Hon. Mrs. Bidya Devi Bhandari,President of Nepal and also called on the Rt. Hon. Prime
Minister Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda', the Prime
Minister of Nepal on 31 August 2016. On the occasion,
Rt. Hon. Prime Minister handed over his congratulatory
message addressed to the Prime Minister of Japan H.E.
Mr. Shinzo Abe on the happy occasion of the Diamond
Jubilee of the Diplomatic Relations, and the State
Minister also handed over the message of the Prime
Minister of Japan to the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister.
The State Minister also called on the Hon. Mr.
Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for Foreign
Affairs. During the meeting, all the matters of bilateral
cooperation and mutual interests were reviewed. The twosides also shared views on how these relations could betaken forward by seizing the opportunities available inboth countries. Hon. Dr. Mahat appreciated theunconditional support of the Government of Japan to thesocio-economic development of Nepal. The State
Minister handed over the congratulatory message of H.E.
Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan
addressed to Hon. Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat on his
appointment as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal.
On the same day, the State Minister witnessed thesigning ceremony of the Exchange of Notes of the Grant
Aid under Japan Overseas Development Assistance for
two new projects- Improvement of Aviation Safety
Facilities in Major Airports of Nepal, and School Sector
Development Program to the sum of approx. $ 15 million
and $ 3 million respectively at the Ministry of Finance.
The Notes were signed and exchanged by Mr. Lok
Darshan Regmi, Secretary at the Ministry of Finance andH.E. Mr. Masashi Ogawa, Ambassador of Japan to Nepal.
12. Ministry of Foreign Affairs celebrated the 60th
Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic
Relations between Nepal-JapanThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal organized acommemorative program to celebrate the 60th
anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations
between Nepal and Japan in Kathmandu on 1 September
2016. The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Mr. Pushpa Kamal
Dahal ‘Prachanda’ inaugurated the program by lighting
the oil-fed traditional Nepali lamp. Speaking at the
program Hon. Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for
Foreign Affairs of Nepal highlighted the various aspects
of Nepal-Japan relations and expressed happiness over thesteady growth of these relations over the past six decades.
He appreciated the substantial assistance provided by
Japan in socio-economic development of Nepal which has
been used in infrastructures and human resources
development, among others.

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Commemorative Programme to celebrate the 60th
anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations
between Nepal and Japan
H.E. Mr. Nobuo Kishi, Minister of State for Foreign
Affairs of Japan addressed the program by stating thatJapan and Nepal have enjoyed excellent relations. The
support in the socio-economic development of Nepal
would be continued from Japan assured the State Ministerof Foreign Affairs. Hon. Mr. Surendra Kumar Karki,
Minister for Information and Communications of Nepal
and H.E. Mr. Nobuo Kishi, Minister of State for Foreign
Affairs of Japan jointly affixed the cancelation marks on
the special commemorative cover published by the Postal
Services Department of the Government of Nepal on theoccasion. A group of prominent Nepali artists from
Cultural Corporation of Nepal and Japanese Drum Troops
from Akafuji Daiko presented impressive shows featuring
the typical culture of their respective counties during the
program.
13. Government of Nepal condemned the DPRK Nuke
Test
The Government of Nepal condemned the nuclear
test carried out by the Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea (DPRK) on 9 September 2016. On 12 September
2016, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press
release stating that the test carried out by the DPRK defies
the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security
Council and the calls of the international community. Inline with its consistent policy of general and complete
disarmament of all weapons of mass destruction, Nepal
stands against such tests and calls upon the Governmentof the DPRK to refrain from such acts, stated the release.
14. 7th Meeting of the Nepal-China's Tibet Trade
Facilitation Committee concluded in Lhasa
The seventh meeting of Nepal–China's Tibet Trade
Facilitation Committee organized in Lhasa on 22-24
September 2016. Mr. Ravi Shanker Sainju, Joint
Secretary at the Ministry of Commerce of Nepal and Ms.
Lou Mei, Vice Chairman of the TAR Government led
their respective delegations to the meeting. During themeeting, both sides shared views on various aspects of
Nepal-China's Tibet Trade and Economic cooperation.
The Nepali side shared views on how to include theexportable Nepali products (in 6 digit HS Code) on thelist of Duty Free and Quota Free (DFQF) facilities
provided by China to Nepal and other LDCs. Issues
relating to the facilitation of bilateral trade and expansion
economic cooperation were also discussed. Both sides
also shared ideas of further promoting participation of
their concerned agencies and businessmen in trade,
tourism and cultural expos/fairs to be organized in bothsides.

wished for good health, long life and happiness of His
Highness Pope Francis. Rt. Hon. President congratulated
His Excellency on the successful completion of 6 years
long tenure, and wished for the success of his next
assignment to Poland.

15. Canada-Nepal Parliamentary Friendship Group
FormedCanada-Nepal Parliamentary Friendship Group has
been formed consisting of the representatives from Houseof Commons and Senate members of Canada. Minister for
Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Mr. Jeevan Bahadur
Shahi, who was in Canada to attend the 39th General
Convention of International Civil Aviation (ICAO), wasalso present during the function. He hoped that the
Friendship Group would usher in the increased interaction
between the lawmakers of the two countries, further
mutual relations, exchange of parliament experiences andvisits, apart from adding to the promotion of trade,investment and tourism between the two countries. H.E.
Kali Prasad Pokharel, Ambassador of Nepal to Canada,
thanked all the members of House of Commons and
Senate for showing up at the program and for theiroverwhelming support in his bid to form theparliamentary friendship group.

16. Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Apostolic
Nuncio of Holy Sea called on Rt. Hon. President
Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Apostolic Nuncioof Holy See called on Rt. Hon'ble President of Nepal
Bidhya Devi Bhandari on 30 September 2016 during his
farewell visit to Nepal. H.E. Pennacchio extended warm
greetings on behalf of Pope. Rt. Hon. President remarked
that the relationship which has witnessed further
consolidation during his tenure, and the unmatched love,support and solidarity on the part of people of Holy See
during the trying times including cataclysmic earthquake
last year would always be cherished. Rt. Hon. President

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17. Nisha Desai Biswal, The US Assistant Secretary ofState for South and Central Asian Affairs, visited
Nepal, called on the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister
Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'
The US Assistant Secretary of State for South andCentral Asian Affairs, Ms Nisha Desai Biswal paid acourtesy call on the Prime Minister at his official
residence in Baluwatar on 4 September while on a visit to
Nepal from 4 – 5 September 2016.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views
on aspects of bilateral relations which are of common
concerns such as completion of the remaining part of thepeace process, implementation of the new constitution,
reconstruction and foreign employment permit for the
Nepalese Guards in Afghanistan. They also shared theviews that transitional justice issues and holding local
elections would be of colossal significance in creating
confidence and consensus and to realize the goals
articulated in constitution.
Rt Hon. Prime Minister acknowledged the need towork on enduring set of economic reforms, policy
stability and prepare propitious environment for economic
growth as Nepal cannot afford to lag behind in theglobalized world. The Prime Minister stressed thatreforms in land and labor laws and institutions, andinfrastructures such as in energy are vital.
Nisha Desai appreciated the generous hospitality
extended to Bhutanese refugees all these years, and urged
the Nepal Government for the resettlement of theremaining ones. The Prime Minister reiterated theposition of the Government that the Bhutanese refugees
who wish to go back to Bhutan should be allowed to doso. They both anticipated working together to come up
with pragmatic and amicable solution. Nisha Desai
expressed her eagerness to welcome Rt. Hon. Prime
Minister in the upcoming Summit on Migration andRefugees.
18. The U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC) Regional Deputy Vice
President, Ms Fatema Sumar in Nepal

19. UK Minister of State for DFID, H.E. Rory Stewart
visited Nepal
The UK Minister of State at the Department forInternational Development (DFID) was on a visit to Nepal
to take stock of the progress made on reconstruction, assess
the impact of last year's earthquake, and reaffirm the UK's
support for Nepal's development.
During the visit, Minister Stewart called on the Rt. Hon.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Krishna
Bahadur Mahara to discuss the next phase of UK support
to Nepal. They discussed how access to bank accounts
could be increased to expedite the payment of housing
grants to earthquake-affected households.

The U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC) Regional Deputy Vice President,
Fatema Sumar visited Nepal to advance development of
an MCC compact with the Government of Nepal.

In meetings with key government officials –including Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Minister
for Energy Janardan Sharma, and Minister for PhysicalInfrastructure and Transport Ramesh Lekhak, Sumar shedlight on Millennium Challenge Corporation: the countries
covered and the modalities of assistance, and its support
to Nepal basically in energy and roads, mainly ontransmission and improvement and upgradation
respectively, though no projects have been finalized yet.
The projects would have to be completed within the
stipulated five-years period as there will not be any
extension to the deadline.
Nepal was selected under MCC Compact Programmein December 2014 and MCC board re-elected Nepal forcontinuation of the program in January 2015. The large
five-year program is given to a country that is committed
to good governance, economic freedom and investment in
the citizens.
Rt. Hon. Prime Minister expressed thanks forincluding Nepal in one of those 30 countries covered bythis program and hoped that it would be instrumental ineconomic development which remains the key priority of
the Government of Nepal at the moment.

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The Prime Minister expressed his earnestness about
amending the relevant laws to accommodate the concerns
raised by human rights organizations and international
community, and also taking into account the basic principlesof transitional justice and unique situation of Nepal. The
objective of reconciliation and durable peace remains
paramount.
The Prime Minister thanked UK Government for its
continued support and goodwill in Nepal’s political andeconomic transformation, including its support in theaftermath of the earthquake last year.
"I am delighted to return to Nepal in the year that our
two countries are celebrating our strong 200 years
relationship", said Minister Stewart upon his arrival. "TheUK stood by the Nepali people in their time of needfollowing the tragic earthquakes last year, and we continue
to support the country to build back better and get on track
towards a more prosperous and stable future."
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the diplomatic
relationship between the UK and Nepal and over 55 years ofthe development partnership.
20. Czech Parliamentary Delegation in Nepal
Czech Parliamentary Delegation led by Vicechairperson of Chamber of Deputies, Mr Vojtech Filip,
Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs of the
Chamber of Deputies paid a visit to Nepal from 18-21
September, 2016.

Representative of Nepal to the United Nations in New York,and Mr. Bharat Raj Paudyal, Joint Secretary and Head of theUnited Nations, International Organization and International
Law Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led the
Nepali delegation to the Ministerial Meeting and Senior
Officials Meeting respectively on 15-16 September and 1314 September 2016.

2.

During the visit, the delegation called on Rt. Hon.
President Mrs. Bidya Devi Bhandari. They discussed onmatters of common interests to bring home new avenues formutual cooperation and lend an impetus to the bilateralrelationship on various fronts.
In a similar vein, the delegation carried out
comprehensive dialogue with Rt. Hon. Speaker of House,
Mrs. Onsari Gharti Magar, Hon. Minister Mr. Ajay Shankar
Nayak, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliament Affairs,
President of the Nepal Bar Association and Chairperson of
Nepal Law Commission.
H.E. Vojtech Filip lauded the commitment of Nepal todemocracy and human rights as evinced in the constitutionmaking, the untiring efforts to bring on board various
competing groups and diverse interests and efforts toinstitutionalize inclusive democracy.
The delegation also attended the Constitutional Day
Celebration held in Tundikhel on September 19.

B. Multilateral Affairs
1.

17th Summit of the Heads of State or Governmentof the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

The Rt. Hon'ble Nanda Bahadur Pun, Vice President of
Nepal, led the Nepali delegation to the 17th Summit of the
Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) held in Margarita Island, Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela, on 17-18 September, 2016. During
the visit, The Rt. Hon'ble Vice President addressed the 17th
NAM Summit and also attended a dinner hosted by His
Excellency Mr. Nicolas Maduro Moros, President of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in honour of the Heads
of State and Government, and Heads of Delegation
attending the Summit.
Addressing the Summit, The Rt. Hon. Vice President
underscored the values Nepal attaches to the principles andideals of Non-Aligned Movement for fostering global
understanding and strengthening multilateralism.
Preceding the NAM Summit, His Excellency Mr.
Durga
PrasadBhattarai,
Ambassador/Permanent

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The 71st Session of the United Nations General
Assembly opened at New YorkThe 71st Session of the United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA) was opened in UN Headquarters at New
York on 13 September 2016. The General Debate of the 71st
Session of the UNGA began on 20 September. His
Excellency Peter Thomson of Fiji is the President of the 71st
session of the General Assembly. The theme of the 71st
Session is “The Sustainable Development Goals: A
Universal Push to Transform our World”.
3.

Nepal at the 71st Session of the United Nations
General Assembly

The Hon'ble Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for
Foreign Affairs of the Government of Nepal led the Nepalidelegation to the 71st Session of the United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA). The Rt. Hon'ble Prime Minister Pushpa
Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', who was earlier scheduled to leadthe Nepali delegation to the UNGA decided to send a Nepalidelegation led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs in view of
the Prime Minister’s pressing engagements at home. The
members of delegation of Nepal to the 71st Session of theUnited Nations General Assembly included Hon'ble
Mr.Mohan Bahadur Basnet, Member of Parliament, Chief
Secretary Dr.Somlal Subedi, Foreign Secretary Mr. Shanker
Das Bairagi, and His Excellency Ambassador/ Permanent
Representative of Nepal to the United Nations in New YorkMr. Durga Prasad Bhattarai among others.
On 24 September 2016, the leader of the Nepalidelegation Foreign Minister Dr. Mahat addressed theGeneral Assembly. The Foreign Minister apprised the world
body of the current political and constitutional developmentof Nepal highlighting the inclusive development agenda
carried out by the Government.
Dr. Mahat stressed on the importance of implementing
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and shared
Nepal’s experience and success in implementing theMillennium Development Goals (MDGs) and while urging
the world leaders to muster the necessary political will toachieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he
underlined the importance of national ownership andinternational partnership to ensure the success of the SDGs.
He also expressed the view that concerted efforts areneeded at the national, regional and global levels to fightagainst the scourge of terrorism and also emphasised on theneed for creating a win-win solution while dealing withconcerns of migrants and refugees.

On 23 September 2016, the Hon’ble Foreign Minister
participated in the High-Level Event on Regionalism andthe 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development organized by
the Regional Commissions, New York Office. In his
keynote address delivered on the occasion, the Hon.
Minister Dr. Mahat said that this was the time to focus on
all possible ways and means to collaborate for achieving the
SDGs. He said that regionalism can be an important vehicle
to generate useful information, enable sharing ofexperiences, and create a bridge between national
development agenda and the global SDGs framework.

Foreign Minister Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat addressing the
UNGA on 24 September 2016

4.

Sustainable Development. Also present in the meetingwere Hon. Mr. Mohan Bahadur Basnet, Member ofLegislature Parliament; Dr. Somlal Subedi, Chief
Secretary; Mr. Shanker Das Bairagi, Foreign Secretary;and H.E. Mr. Durga Prasad Bhattarai, Permanent
Representative. From the UN side, Under Secretary
General (OHRLLS) Mr. Gyan Chandra Acharya, Under
Secretary General (DFS) Atul Khare and senior officials
from DPA and DPKO were present in the meeting. On theoccasion, the UN Secretary General also presented a bookoutlining his 10 year experience at the UN to the Hon.
Minister.
6. Foreign Minister observed Nepal’s National Day
celebration in New York
During the visit to New York, the Foreign Minister
also observed the National Day reception hosted by thePermanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations
Ambassador Durga Prasad Bhattarai to mark the firstanniversary of the promulgation of the Constitution of
Nepal. Addressing the programme, the Foreign Ministerhighlighted that the Constitution of Nepal “adheres touniversally accepted norms of democratic polity; andensures pluralism, the rule of law, representative andaccountable government, and social and economic
justice.”

Foreign Minister Dr. Mahat meets with the US
President Obama

On 20 September 2016, the Hon. Dr. Mahat attended a
reception hosted in honour of visiting heads of delegations
by His Excellency Barack Obama, the President of theUnited States of America. During the occasion, he had abrief exchange of views with President Obama and also
talked with US Secretary of State His Excellency Mr. John
Kerry on matters of mutual interests.

Hon. Minister addressing the National Day Reception
gathering, with H.E. the Permanent Representative and Under
Secretary-General Mr. Geoffrey Feltman on the background

7.

Foreign Minister and Mrs. Mahat with US President and Mrs.
Obama

5.

Meeting with the UN Secretary-General

On 23 September, the Hon. Minister held a meetingwith H.E. Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General at thelatter’s office. The two sides touched upon a number ofissues ranging from implementation of Constitution to
Nepal’s role in UN peacekeeping operations, and from
Nepal-UN cooperation to the pressing issues of climatechange, and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for

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Foreign Minister holds bilateral meetings at New
York

The Hon. Minister Mahat held several bilateralmeetings with his counterparts H.E. Mr. Vivian
Balakrishnan of Singapore, H.E. Mr. Tsend Munkh-Orgil,
Foreign Minister of Mongolia, H.E. Mr. Ivica Decic, thefirst Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign
Affairs of Serbia.
The Hon'ble Foreign Minister also paid a courtesy
call on the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
8.

Nepal and El Salvador establish diplomatic
relations
Nepal and El Salvador, a Central American republic,
established diplomatic relations on 21 September 2016.
The Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Prakash SharanMahat and His Excellency Mr. Hugo Roger Martinez
Bonilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador signeda Joint communiqué to this effect at a special ceremony
held at the United Nation Headquarters. The number ofcountries with which Nepal has established diplomatic
relations has now reached 144.
9. Visit of the Chief of UN Department of Field
Support Under-Secretary-General
Mr.
Atul
Khare
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Chiefof Department of Field Support Mr. Atul Khare visited
Nepal on 28-30 August 2016. During the visit,
discussions were held on issues related to peacekeeping
and field support services.

C. Regional Affairs
1.

Seventh Meeting of the SAARC Interior/Home
Ministers and other preceding meetings

The Seventh Meeting of SAARC Interior/Home
Ministers preceded by the Seventh Meeting of SAARC
Secretaries of Interior/Home and the Seventh Meeting of
SAARC Immigration Authorities was held in Islamabadfrom 2-4 August 2016. Nepali delegation was led by Mr.
Narayan Gopal Malego, Secretary, Ministry of Home
Affairs at Ministerial and Interior/Home Secretary levelmeetings. During the Ministerial segment, the leaders
highlighted the necessity of identifying the practicalsolutions to address the challenges on controllingcybercrimes, transnational organized crimes, to ensure
safety and security for the social and economic growth,
especially, to ensure a secure future for the youth, womenand children. While condemning terrorism, in all its forms
and manifestations, the leaders called for collective actions
in fighting this menace and stressed that terrorists should
not escape prosecution.
2.

SAARC Finance
Secretaries Meeting

Ministers

andFinance

The Eighth Meeting of SAARC Finance Ministers
and Eighth Meeting of SAARC Finance Secretaries were
held in Islamabad on 26 August and 25 August 2016
respectively. Nepali delegation at the Ministerial Meeting
was led by Hon. Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister for Finance. Finance Secretaries
level meeting was led by Mr. Baikuntha Aryal, Joint
Secretary, Ministry of Finance.
While delivering country statements the leader
highlighted, among others, on accelerating the process
towards South Asian Economic Union (SAEU) in a phased
and planned manner as mentioned in the Declaration of
18th SAARC Summit; ensuring implementation ofdecisions recommended by the Member States at various

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SAARC mechanisms in order to realize the goals of
SAARC Charter to promote the welfare of the people ofSouth Asia and to accelerate economic growth, social
progress and cultural development in the region;
strengthening regional trade through full and expeditious
implementation of South Asian Free Trade Agreement(SAFTA) in order to achieve deeper integration and movetowards SAEU and also to bring down tariffs, eliminate
NTBs/PTBs, reduce sensitive lists for enhanced intraregional trade under SAFTA; and operationalizing the
SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services without further
delay by finalizing the schedules of specific Commitments.
3.

Inception Meeting of the BIMSTEC Transport
Connectivity Working Group (BTCWG)

The inception Meeting of the BIMSTEC Transport
Connectivity Working Group (BTCWG) was held in
Bangkok, Thailand on 30-31August 2016. The Working
Group was formed as recommended by the BIMSTEC
Transport Infrastructure and Logistics Study (BTILS)
Updating Enhancement: Finalization Workshop held in
New Delhi on 14 July 2014.
BTILS which was conducted in 2007 with thefinancial and technical support of Asian Development
Bank (ADB) submitted its report in 2009. The report waslater endorsed by the Ministerial Meeting. The ADB was
further requested to review and update its report on thestatus of connectivity with a timeframe up to 2020.
The purpose of the BTILS was to make a profile ofthe transports and logistics of the region, to identify hardand soft infrastructure projects related to connectivity andtrade, to recommend on future BIMSTEC policies andstrategies to enhance connectivity and trade, and torecommend an effective institutional mechanism tomonitor and facilitate implementing the priority projects.
BTILS has identified a long list of 166 projects as
being 'important' in a national context. Out of this, 65
projects have been selected as priority projects including 6
projects from Nepal which are national projects of thecountry concerned with either ‘governmental’ or donor
infrastructure development programs. It has singled out 35
projects in the Road Sector and 12 projects in the Railway
Sector. It also pinpointed common constraints in thedevelopment of transport connectivity in the region andproposed breaking bottle-necks such as lengthy
administrative procedures, unnecessary documentation
requirements, lack of automation for smooth and efficienttransport and transit arrangements.
The first Meeting of the Working Group adopted the
proposed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the BTCWG,
agreed on the Work Plan for BTCWG for the period of
2016-2018 and also agreed to provide the list of priority
projects by 30th of October 2016.
The Meeting was led by Mr. Mani Prasad Bhattarai,
Joint Secretary (Regional Organizations Division) of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and attended by the Senior
Officials of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure andTransport and Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil
Aviation of the Government of Nepal.
4.

Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Senior Officials
Meeting

The Senior Officials Meeting of the Asia Cooperation
Dialogue (ACD), held in Bangkok on 14 September 2016
discussed on the Draft ACD Vision for Asia Cooperation
2030, Draft Bangkok Declaration and Draft ACD
Statement on Reigniting Growth through Partnership forConnectivity which would be adopted by the leaders at the
2nd ACD Summit being held in Bangkok on 8-10 October
2016. The Meeting after detailed deliberations, agreed inprinciple to send them for consideration of the ACD
Foreign Ministers Meeting to be held on the sidelines of
the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) in New York on 22 September 2016.
Thailand is hosting the 2nd ACD Summit in Bangkok
on 8-10 October 2016 under the theme "One Asia, Diverse
Strengths". The Leaders (Heads of State and Government)of 34 ACD Member States from all regions of Asia areattending the Summit to discuss Asia's strengthens andresources as well as its future endeavours for harnessing
synergies and move towards inclusive Asia.
Mr. Mani Prasad Bhattarai, Joint Secretary/Chief ofRegional Organizations Division attended the said Meetingand put forward views and priorities of the country.
5.

SAARC Technical Meeting of Senior Officials on
Education

The SAARC Technical Meeting of Senior Officials
on Education was held in New Delhi, India on 15-16
September 2016 with a view to formulating concrete actionplans for implementing the "New Delhi Declaration on
Education" adopted by the Meeting of the SAARC
Ministers of Education/Higher Education on 31 October
2014, and for advancing SDGs goals and its associatedtargets. The Meeting was also tasked with the
responsibility of acquiring appropriate policy inputs fromthe representatives of the SAARC Members for the
finalization of the SAARC Framework for Action (SFFA)
for Education 2030 and its subsequent consideration andadoption by the Third Meeting of the SAARC Education
Ministers to be held towards the end of 2016.
The delegations from all SAARC Member States andrepresentatives from New Delhi based UNESCO, UNICEF
and the South Asian University (SAU) participated in themeeting. The Meeting concluded along with the adoptionof SAARC Framework for Action 2030 and Draft Action
Plan for Implementation of the "New Delhi Declaration on
Education" with the common agreement to forward these
documents for further consideration and approval by theThird SAARC Education Ministers' Meeting to be held inlate 2016 in Maldives.
The Meeting held wide-ranging discussion on several
issues of regional cooperation on education sector. In theparticular area of documentation and sharing of

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information/knowledge and best practices among SAARC
Members through the launching of a common web portal,
Nepal has been proposed to take initiatives for the
implementation of action plan in this area in cooperation
with the SAARC Secretariat. As regards to the monitoringof progress towards SDGs and corresponding targets, theMeeting took up the issue of SDGs seriously andemphasized on developing regional indicators for raisingquality education in SAARC while implementing theSDGs by the Member States. Nepal, together with SAARC
Secretariat, is proposed to take the lead in carrying out theaction plans in this area of cooperation.
6.

Informal Meeting of the SAARC Council of
Ministers

On the sidelines of the 71st session of the United
Nations General Assembly, the Informal Meeting of the
SAARC Council of Ministers was held in New York on 21
September 2016 with participation of all eight member
states of SAARC. Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr.
Prakash Sharan Mahat, as the current Chair of the SAARC
Council of Ministers, presided over the Meeting. The
Meeting
reviewed
progressachievedonthe
implementation of the decisions of the 37th Meeting of the
SAARC Council of Ministers and its preceding meetings
held in Pokhara in March 2016. During the occasion, thehead of delegation of Pakistan briefed about the ongoing
preparations for hosting the 19th SAARC Summit
scheduled to be held in Pakistan on 9 to 10 November
2016.

Hon. Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, Foreign Minister of Nepal,
addressing the Meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers
on the sidelines of the 71st session of the UNGA in New York.

7.

The Ninth SAARC Food Bank Board Meeting

The Ninth SAARC Food Bank Board Meeting washeld in Kathmandu from 21-22 September 2016. Delegatesfrom all SAARC Member countries attended the meeting.
The meeting was inaugurated by Hon. Deepak Bohara,
Minister for Supplies. In his remarks, Mr. Bohara
mentioned that though the Board has made some good
progress by bringing out the Publication Guide to the
SAARC Food Bank and undertaking the Food Bank
Information System, in terms of operationalizing the Bank,

the uncertainty was not over. He expressed hope that theBoard through a candid exchange of ideas would arrive at amechanism tailored to overarching food security goals andobjectives of the SAARC region. The meeting also agreed
on the draft text of the Agreement on establishing the
SAARC Food Bank incorporating the amendment proposals
made by member countries.

The Hon. Minister expressed his confidence that theregion would be able to attain Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) by the set timeframe as the 2030 Agenda
provides a framework for promoting inclusive, equitable
and sustainable development at the regional level throughour constructive and collaborative efforts.
The said Meeting deliberated and endorsed thefollowing three documents to be placed at the 2 nd ACD
Summit scheduled to be held in Bangkok on 8-10 October2016:
 Bangkok Declaration
 ACD Vision for Asia Cooperation 2030 (ACD
Vision 2030)
 ACD Statement on Reigniting Growththrough Partnership for Connectivity
9.

Hon. Mr. Deepak Bohara (Right in the Centre), Minister for
Supplies of Nepal, addressing the inaugural session of the NinthSAARC Food Bank Board Meeting in Kathmandu.

8.

ACD Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the Sidelinesof the UNGAThe United Arab Emirates, as the incoming Chair of
the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) hosted the ACD
Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the sidelines of 71 st
Session of the UNGA in New York on 22 September
2016.

Hon. Foreign Minister of Nepal Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat(Left) addressing the ACD Ministerial Meeting in New York.

The Nepalese Delegation led by Hon. Dr. Prakash
Sharan Mahat attended the Meeting. While participatingin the discussions, Hon. Dr. Mahat emphasized on placing
poverty eradication on the forefront of ACD agenda. He
also stressed on the potentials of regional cooperation in
the areas of energy, connectivity, tourism and culture.
While highlighting the special needs of Least Developed
Countries (LDCs) and Land-Locked Developing
Countries (LLDCs), the Minister underlined theimportance of promoting inclusive, equitable andsustainable development at the regional level through theeffective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development.

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Republic of Korea (ROK) –SAARC Partnership
SeminarAn Official from the Regional Organizations Division,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Nepal represented at
the Seventh Republic of Korea-SAARC Partnership
Seminar held in Seoul, South Korea on 26 September
2016. The theme for this year's Seminar was "Enhancing
Economic Connectivity in SAARC: Focusing on
Promotion of Intra-regional Trade" and it was hosted by
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.
The main objectives of the Seminar were to create aplatform for the exchange of experiences and ideas, and to
identify concrete measures for further enhancing ROKSAARC Cooperation. During the wide-ranging
discussion, the participants from the SAARC Member
States, SAARC Secretariat and Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the Republic of Korea, among others,
emphasized on the need for deeper engagement with the
ROK as an observer of SAARC, and forwarded policy
recommendations in this regard.
The Seminar was chaired by the Deputy DirectorGeneral of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republicof Korea where all the representatives from the SAARC
Member States and SAARC Secretariat made briefpresentations focusing on enhancing economic
connectivity and intra-regional trade in SAARC and roleof observers.
The Republic of Korea joined SAARC as an observerin 2006, and since then has been organizing various
training programmes/seminars to support capacity
building of the government officials of the SAARC
Member States in various fields. The Republic of KoreaSAARC Partnership Seminar was started in 2010 with anaim of harnessing the potential of Korea-SAARC
cooperation.
10. Regional Conference on SAARC Effectiveness
A Regional Conference on SAARC Effectiveness wasorganized by the International Relations and Labour
Committee of the Legislature-Parliament of Nepal on 2930 September 2016 at Soaltee Crown Plaza, Kathmandu.
Chairpersons of Parliamentary Committees of all SAARC

Member Countries and resource persons (paper presentersand commentators) were also invited to attend theConference. The Conference was inaugurated by the Rt.
Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal'Prachanda'.

3
4

5

6
7

8

Rt. Hon. Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Prime Ministerof Nepal, addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Regional
Conference on SAARC Effectiveness in Kathmandu.
9Papers were presented by foreign and Nepali experts
on five topics i.e. overview of three decades of SAARC,
economic cooperation, fostering trust and understanding,deepening integration through enhanced connectivity, andstrengthening institutional mechanisms. The Regional
Organization Division, MoFA, Nepal had extended active
cooperation to organize the Conference.

D. Passport & Consular Activities
I.

Passport Activities
Department of Passport has distributed
104,878 passports and travel documents in thisperiod. The detail is as follows:

10

11

12

13

14
15

S.N.
1
2
3
4
Total

Passport/Travel
Document

Number

Diplomatic
Official
Ordinary
Travel Document

109
351
104,38632
104,878

16
17

18
19

B

II.

Consular Activities

1

The numerical details of the service delivery of
Department of Consular Services over this period are as
follows:
No. of Work
Performed

S.N.

Details of Services

A

Consular and Legal Counseling
SectionRecommendation for Medical treatment,
Religious tour, World cycling tour, andother
Recommendation for Indian education

1

2

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285

Correspondence to the Nepalese
Missions on various subjects including
insurance and compensation enquiry
Correspondence to the foreign missions
based in Nepal
Telephone and e-mail enquiries about
insurance and compensation with the
Nepalese Missions abroad.
Visa and Exemption Section

2
268

50
4
4

9

176

31

42

56
123
14
4
20
33
30
36

538

2

Issuance of diplomatic/official/gratis
visa
Issuance of diplomatic/official ID Card

3

Issuance of SAARC visa stickers

23

4

Number of recommendation for
exemption
Number of visa recommendation to theforeign missions on GON's nominations

547

5
C
1

51

certificate, nationality verification andthose who are visiting India for study
purposeRecommendation for Indian pension
Recommendation for issuing Nepalesedriving license on the basis of foreign
driving license held by the Nepalesecitizen.
Recommendation letter to IndianEmbassy for character verification report
to Nepalese citizens during their periodof stay in India.
Recommendation for procurement ofchemicals & explosives
Recommendation letter to IndianEmbassy for issuing vehicle permit forvehicles to enter India.
Correspondence to the concerned
authorities of Nepal regarding thecitizenship renouncement of Nepalesecitizens as per their application
submitted to the Nepalese missions
abroadCorrespondence
letterregardingauthenticity of Power of Attorney issued
by Nepalese missions abroad
Correspondence to the concerned
authorities
of
Nepal
regardingauthenticity of documents issued by theGovernment of Nepal
POA,
VOR,
H-FormRequest(Malaysia), and correspondence to theDistrict Administration Office forcompensation to Nepalese citizens diedabroad.
Correspondence concerning search andrescue of Nepalese nationals to the
Nepalese Missions abroad
Correspondence with regards torepatriation of dead body of Nepalesenationals abroad
Correspondence to the government
agencies in Nepal
Number of draft received for thecompensation from Malaysia.
Handover of compensation amount from
Malaysia to the concerned family

Total

Attestation section
Number of attested documents

95

506

21,74824,695